It is not known whether she was the biological mother of any of Vladimir's children, although some scholars have pointed to evidence that she and Vladimir may have had as many as three children together, possibly
Gleb-David,
Boris-Romanos, and
Theophana. William Humphreys also favors a reconstruction making Yaroslav the son, rather than the step-son, of Anna, by invoking onomastic arguments. There is a certain pattern in his sons having Slavic names, and his daughters having Greek names only. This view is corroborated by the study of Yaroslav's remains carried out in 1939–1940, as well as his age given in the
Primary Chronicle, which would place him amongst Vladimir's youngest children (with 988–990 as his estimated date of birth). In fact, Yaroslav's maternity by
Rogneda of Polotsk has been questioned by some, since
Mykola Kostomarov in the 19th century. However, there is good evidence that Rogneda is in fact Yaroslav's mother. According to Alexander Koptev, "Rogneda is obviously represented as Prince Vladimir's most significant wife because she was the mother of Jaroslav", when referring to following the entry in the
Primary Chronicle: "In this year died also Rogned, Yaroslav's mother."
Simon Franklin and
Jonathan Shepard also state that Yaroslav is the son of Vladimir and Rogneda, drawing on their reading of the
Primary Chronicle. ==See also==